Review articleUtilizing virtual and augmented reality for educational and clinical enhancements in neurosurgery

- Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have great potential in neurosurgery.
- Immersive VR has the potential to be used an educational tool.
- AR has the added potential of use in the live operative field.
- Further improvement of VR and AR is crucial to its integration into neurosurgery.

Neurosurgery has undergone a technological revolution over the past several decades, from trephination to image-guided navigation. Advancements in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) represent some of the newest modalities being integrated into neurosurgical practice and resident education. In this review, we present a historical perspective of the development of VR and AR technologies, analyze its current uses, and discuss its emerging applications in the field of neurosurgery.